If my interpretation of the promises to givers in 2
Corinthians 9:6-11 sounds something like the prosperity message common in our
time, it is because prosperity teaching isn’t wholly false. It has helped many
people understand God’s desire to bless his people and to prosper his people
financially – and that’s a good thing.
However, prosperity doctrine often includes distortions that
tend to get people out of balance in their faith. This is not the place to do a
thorough critique of the prosperity message. But there are three underlying
problems that I’d like to comment on:
- The
assertion that poverty is the curse Christ frees us from.
- The
danger of greed being a primary motivation for giving.
- The
related danger of pride when one flaunts one’s wealth.
I’ll be concise, though there is much to be said on
these subjects.
First, proponents of the prosperity message claim that
poverty is a curse. This arises from the statement in Malachi that we discussed
in connection with 2 Corinthians 9:6.
“You are under a curse – the whole nation of you –
because you are robbing me.” (Malachi 3:9)
Cursed are those who fail to obey the law (Deuteronomy
27:26). The curses or penalties for disobedience (such as not tithing) include
poverty, famine, war, and natural disaster (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Since Jesus
has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13-14), goes the
argument, therefore, we don’t need to be poor or suffer financial setbacks – or
be sick, for that matter. These, they say, are “the curse” that Christ has freed
us from.
Being rich, say prosperity teachers, is evidence of God’s
blessing; being poor is evidence of a lack of faith, of not entering into all
that God has for you. It is God’s will for his people to be financially wealthy
so they can bless others. Jesus became a wealthy man, they claim, from the gifts
of the Magi, rich enough to have an accountant, Judas.
Frankly, this view is entirely too simplistic and relies upon
falsehoods. As mentioned in my exposition of 2 Corinthians 8:9, any careful
reading of the Gospels reveals that Jesus was not wealthy, but a working
carpenter prior to his three-year ministry, during which he was supported by
friends (Luke 8:1-3). Judas managed the money given to support Jesus and the
Twelve in their mission (John 12:6; 13:29). Jesus’ gospel was not centered on
prosperity or financial gain. He warned against it. Rather, his focus was on the
poor who were receptive to his message. You don’t get prosperity doctrine out of
Jesus’ teaching without serious twisting of the facts and of his words.
Jim Bakker, a prominent televangelist who preached the
prosperity doctrine, was sent to prison for accounting fraud in 1989. Later, he
wrote in his autobiography how God began to change his mind in prison.
“The more I studied the Bible ... I had to admit
that the prosperity message did not line up with the tenor of Scripture.
My heart was crushed to think that I led so many people astray. I was
appalled that I could have been so wrong, and I was deeply grateful that God had
not struck me dead as a false prophet.”[496]
In the passage about Jesus freeing us from the curse of the
Law (Galatians 3:13-14), nowhere in the context does it remotely suggest that
material wealth and prosperity are the result of Jesus’ death on the cross.
Rather, we are freed from sin, since Christ fulfilled the penalty of the law for
our sins.
Is poverty a curse? Yes, in a sense. It is the result of a
condition we experience in this world since God cursed the earth following Adam
and Eve sinning.
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food
until you return to the ground....” (Genesis 3:17b-19a)
Because of your sin, the Garden of Eden that you
enjoyed is closed to you. Life will be hard from now on.
Though Christ died for your sins, the poverty and the
struggle of life will not be fully conquered until Christ’s coming brings about
the new heavens and the new earth in his Kingdom.
Until then, poverty on this earth will continue to result
from a variety of causes, including natural disasters, famines, drought, lack of
jobs, economic depressions, exploitation by others, imperialism, war, ignorance,
lack of a good education, laziness, illness, divorce, death of a spouse or
parent, and a host of social problems. It’s a long list.
Having said that, I sincerely believe that being a Christian
brings with it financial blessings. When you stop wasting money on drinking,
drugs, gambling, and racking up credit card debt by purchasing more than you can
afford, and begin to take seriously your role of caring for your family to the
best of your ability, your economic picture can’t help but improve
significantly. The Book of Proverbs has much to say about how common sense
living helps you prosper. Will every Christian get rich? No. But most will be
able to improve their financial situation to some degree. Moreover, there are
clear financial promises attached to giving that I discussed in my exposition of
2 Corinthians 9:6-11.
Yes, God will prosper some Christians so they become wealthy.
Praise God for that. Wealth is nothing to be ashamed of, but is a responsibility
to be used under God.
The promises of scripture are not given to make us fabulously
wealthy ourselves, but to enable us to have enough so we can give further to
bless others (2 Corinthians 9:11). When we twist the promises to make poverty a
sign of lack of faith and riches a sign of God’s blessing, however, we seriously
misunderstand the intent of God’s Word.
The second problem I see in the prosperity message is the
danger of giving in order to get more. If giving to God will result in greater
blessing to me (as I believe it does), then I’m tempted to give more in order to
increase that blessing. It’s subtle, but greed can begin to replace godly
motivations for giving: love for God, obedience, compassion for the poor, etc.
When I hear some televangelists raise money, they promise
that those who give will receive even more in return. Financial gain is used as
a primary motivation in their appeal. Even though there may be some truth to
their assertions, this appeal to greed corrupts the giving so that what should
have been worship is now about us rather than about God.
The New Testament is clear about the dangers of desiring
wealth. Here are just three passages that warn us. There are many others.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth ... but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.... For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.... No one can serve two
masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted
to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
(Matthew 6:19-21, 24)
“But godliness with contentment is great
gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People
who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish
and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love
of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1
Timothy 6:6-10)
“Do not love the world or anything in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything
in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting
of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John
2:15-16)
A third danger I see in the prosperity message is the
temptation to flaunt one’s wealth, an expression of pride. If wealth is a sign
of God’s blessing, then wearing gold chains and expensive clothes, and driving
luxury cars is a way of acknowledging that blessing – or so we tell ourselves.
You shouldn’t be ashamed of God’s blessing, prosperity
teachers say, but should glorify God in it. True, but our corrupt hearts begin
to exalt us in others’ eyes by our conspicuous spending and high lifestyle.
Dear friends, we can fool ourselves and perhaps some others,
but pride is an ugly thing that God detests. Humility is our only defense
against pride. If God sees fit to bless you with wealth, praise God, but be sure
to live before God and man in humility. Otherwise, you sin by your pride and are
party to enflaming greed in others.
In summary, the prosperity message contains truths about
faith and God’s help in financial areas. It rightly points to God’s promises
concerning blessings for those who give generously. But it has led to a serious
distortion of God’s Word by some. We want the blessings, but need to avoid the
pitfalls of:
- A
perversion of poverty,
- A
gravitation towards greed, and
- A
penchant for pride.
End Note
Galatians Bible Study
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